Unable to boot RN516 and unable to boot from USB

[jamierees1]

Hello,

I'm having a bit of grief with a Netgear RN516.

It was shut down properly before an office move but now won't boot. I get "mount_block_root +25e" on the display which points to a boot issue.

I've followed the OS6 recovery steps including booting from a prepared USB disk but despite having tried three sticks, the system fails to boot from the USB disk and I simply end up with the "mount_block_root" message.

Steps I've followed are from here - https://kb.netgear.com/29952/How-do-I-use-the-USB-Recovery-Tool-on-my-ReadyNAS-OS-6-storage-system:

"If your ReadyNAS system is an RN316, RN516, or RN716X:

After powering on the ReadyNAS system, wait for the backlight around the touchpad to turn off.
Instead of the Backup button, press and hold the OK button for up to 30 seconds, until the LCD confirms that the ReadyNAS is attempting to boot from the USB drive."

I have also tried to access the boot menu by pressing and holding the reset button etc, but again, the system seems to ignore this. Steps I've taken are from here:

https://kb.netgear.com/23005/How-do-I-access-the-boot-menu-on-my-ReadyNAS-316-516-716

Is there anything else I can do to reinstall the OS / repair the file system and recover my data or will I have to pull the disks and rebuild the RAID array? 

Many thanks,

Jamie

[mdgm · Accepted solution]

With this problem the boot menu won't work. The solution is to do USB Boot Recovery to repair the internal flash.

If it's not working then it suggests one of four possibilities

1. The USB key you are trying is not compatible
2. The USB Boot Recovery key has not been prepared correctly
3. The process to boot off USB is not being followed correctly
4. There really is a problem with the internal flash or other hardware e.g. RAM. This is the least likely possibility imo.

Some USB key models are incompatible. So trying multiple different makes of USB key can be needed.

Be sure to run the tool to create the USB Boot Recovery key as an Administrator.

If you connect a HDMI display what is the date of the BIOS that is momentarily displayed when you boot the NAS?

If the system has an old BIOS then the process to boot off USB is tricky. If you press the O.K. button too soon or too late it will fail to boot off USB.

To boot off USB:

1. Power off the ReadyNAS

2. Plug the USB key into the front USB port

3. Power on the NAS and wait for the touch key LEDs to go off after full brightness (This happens around 5th second after power on).
4. Press and hold the OK button as soon as the LEDs go off (You must be quick here, you can't press sooner because the touch key needs self-calibration, you can't press later, the boot priority will be set within 3 seconds. You don't need to press too hard, but you do need to make sure that the O.K. LED is turned on).

5. Release the OK button once you see "Boot from external USB" shown on the display

6. Wait until the system powers off by itself.

If you have a later BIOS then it should automatically boot off a NTGR USB Boot Recovery key on boot without needing to press any buttons other than to turn the NAS on.

[jamierees1]

I've tried pulling the disks out and still get the "mount_block_root" message rather than "no disks". 

Therefore from other posts on this subject it seems possible that the flash on the motherboard might be dead. Is this repairable at all? 

Any other info / thoughts appreciated. The unit is now out of its 5 year warranty unfortunately 😞 

[mdgm · Accepted solution]

With this problem the boot menu won't work. The solution is to do USB Boot Recovery to repair the internal flash.

If it's not working then it suggests one of four possibilities

1. The USB key you are trying is not compatible
2. The USB Boot Recovery key has not been prepared correctly
3. The process to boot off USB is not being followed correctly
4. There really is a problem with the internal flash or other hardware e.g. RAM. This is the least likely possibility imo.

Some USB key models are incompatible. So trying multiple different makes of USB key can be needed.

Be sure to run the tool to create the USB Boot Recovery key as an Administrator.

If you connect a HDMI display what is the date of the BIOS that is momentarily displayed when you boot the NAS?

If the system has an old BIOS then the process to boot off USB is tricky. If you press the O.K. button too soon or too late it will fail to boot off USB.

To boot off USB:

1. Power off the ReadyNAS

2. Plug the USB key into the front USB port

3. Power on the NAS and wait for the touch key LEDs to go off after full brightness (This happens around 5th second after power on).
4. Press and hold the OK button as soon as the LEDs go off (You must be quick here, you can't press sooner because the touch key needs self-calibration, you can't press later, the boot priority will be set within 3 seconds. You don't need to press too hard, but you do need to make sure that the O.K. LED is turned on).

5. Release the OK button once you see "Boot from external USB" shown on the display

6. Wait until the system powers off by itself.

If you have a later BIOS then it should automatically boot off a NTGR USB Boot Recovery key on boot without needing to press any buttons other than to turn the NAS on.

[jamierees1]

Thank you for that - in the end I found another USB stick and tried that....that one worked! 

The BIOS version is 7.7.0.3.

Fourth USB stick lucky...! 

Thanks for your help, I've got my files now 

[mdgm]

Glad it's now fixed.

With a working USB it can take multiple attempts to boot off USB to get the timing right if you have a system with an old BIOS.

That version number tells me nothing. It's the date for the BIOS that tells me which one you have. The BIOS date is what was incremented with different revisions of it.